Empty chair means big decision at W-B Area

What should the Wilkes-Barre Area School Board be looking for in a replacement for Robert Corcoran, whom it removed from its ranks last week?

Well, first off, the new board member should be a resident of the school district, or at very least the Western Hemisphere. Corcoran, who now lives in Germany, was voted off the board for missing two consecutive meetings, but not until after the board participated in the farcical exercise of allowing him to participate in a meeting and cast votes via laptop.

The residence requirement sets the bar awful low, and it's already required by state law, but it's a start.

The two factions of the board, which is split 4-4 on most issues, have agreed that Corcoran's replacement should not come from among the nine nonincumbents running for the four seats contested in this year's election. That seems fair.

It is unclear what other criteria board members might consider, but given the gravity of the issues facing the district, one hopes their standards go beyond the political.

The new member, who would serve only through December, will have a short tenure, but a potentially pivotal impact, on the district as the board searches for a new superintendent, struggles with crafting a 2013-2014 budget and negotiates new labor contracts.

It is crucial that the new member, who could hold a deciding vote on all those issues, be of the highest integrity and without strong political ties to either faction, perhaps a retired educator who has worked elsewhere. Honesty is of paramount consideration, as three board members have been sentenced to federal prison on corruption charges in recent years.

The new member should also have some experience in budgeting or finance. The controversy over the outrageous legal bills submitted by former solicitor Anthony J. Lupas Jr., who is awaiting trial on unrelated fraud charges, shows that the board paid little attention as Lupas racked up hundreds of thousands in poorly documented charges. An audit commissioned by the school district concluded that none of the money could be recovered because the board's fiscal controls were so lax.

A federal investigation into Lupas' legal bills has, as yet, produced no charges, but the taxpayers of Wilkes-Barre Area are sorely in need of a financial watchdog to protect against such gouging in the future.

Finally, the board should look to inject some diversity into its ranks. The district's board and its teaching staff do not even come close to matching the changing demographics of the district. That disconnect poorly serves the large and growing contingent of minority students.

The board has until May 23 to choose a successor to Corcoran. If its factions cannot agree, the decision would then be left to the courts.

In light of this board's track record, that might be best outcome of all.

To apply

Those interested in being appointed to the Wilkes-Barre Area School Board should submit a letter of intent to:

Dr. Bernard S. Prevuznak

Interim Superintendent

730 S. Main St.

Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711

The letter should be postmarked no later than May 3.

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